axle bearings and seals

351w_swap said:

Now that we seem to have gone in a different direction with this post I have a new set of questions for you all. Why are the rear calipers for the versailles twice as much as the fronts? Has anyone done a rebuild on their calipers (much cheaper)? Last what is the cheapest place to get rebuilt calipers? I have found some but they all are about 70 bucks plus shipping and a 40 dollar core charge. Mine are pretty nasty and need a sand blast so I guess I would prefer to just replace the rubber as everything else is still good, any suggestions would be helpful. thanks

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Sorry, didn't mean to hi-jack the thread. I was just trying to answer the man's question.

One reason Versailles calipers are so high is because those rear ends ceased production in 1980, and Ford doesn't supply replacement parts for them (obsolete). There are much fewer Versailles rear ends in the world compared to the Granada-style front calipers.

Until fairly recently, I had a '79 Lincoln Versailles rear end under my '68. I pitched it in favor of an '80-model Mercury Monarch 9-inch (drum brake) rear end that I designed some adapter brackets for to adapt some larger, (and much more abundant) Cobra rear discs to that I'll be installing under my '68;

1. http://www.ultrastang.com/images/2006/cobrabrakehosemount0243cf_2.jpg

2. http://www.ultrastang.com/images/2006/cobrabrakehosemount0255tn_2.jpg

ultrastang said:

1.) 10" x 1¾" '65-'73 Mustang rear drum brakes won't work with '57-'59 Ford 9-inch small bearing axles that are designed to work with 11" x 2" drum brakes.

2.) If you had a '65/'66 Mustang (52¼" wide) 8-inch rear end to use the brakes AND axles from to put into/onto the (52¼" wide) 9-inch housing, then you would be in good shape.

3.) Get a pair of '65/'66 Mustang 8-inch axles to use with your [10" x 1¾"] drums from the '68 rear end (to be installed on the 9-inch housing).

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1.) What is different between them? How does it make the backing plates and alignment different? I'd go look for myself, but I don't want to tear the car apart until I have all the parts.

2.) You know, I do have a '65 Mustang 8", but I bet it's in horrible shape. It was in an open-sided shelter, but when it flooded here almost two years ago, it got covered in about 18" of mud and I never dug it out. I'll see about, eh, "excavating" it.

351w_swap said:

1.) Why are the rear calipers for the versailles twice as much as the fronts? 2.) Has anyone done a rebuild on their calipers (much cheaper)? 3.) Last what is the cheapest place to get rebuilt calipers?

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Sorry for hijacking your thread. I just figured that the issue about finding bearings was sorted and my stuff was at least somewhat related. Got carried away, I guess.

1.)The Versailles rear calipers were only used for a handful of model years wheres I suspect the fronts were standard for big chassis Fords for longer than that. EDIT: Duh, the Versailles used the same brakes as a Granada, just bigger rod ends on the spindle.

2.) I haven't, but it really looks simple.

3.) I had a Versailles in my '65 Mustang(which is where the buried 8" rear came from), but I never rebuilt or replaced the calipers since they seemed to work. A place local to me here in CA is called A.V. Brake Supply. They deal only in brake, clutch, and steering parts and can usually undercut the local chain stores like BlottoZone. I'm not sure if they do mail order.